Anna Ntasiou – MSc Coastal Engineering graduate

Anna moved from Greece to undertake a course at Plymouth because it is “the best university in the UK in terms of coastal and maritime engineering.”

Current employer: ARUP

Current job title: Graduate Maritime Engineer

Current location: London

“Studying at Plymouth University broadened my mental horizons, gave me significant educational and technical knowledge, and provided me with the opportunity to enter the UK’s professional engineering world.”

Tell us what you have been doing since completing your studies.

Since completing my studies at Plymouth University, I have been working as a graduate maritime engineer in Arup.

What is the best, most exciting or fun thing that you have done in your career?

At Arup, I have been involved in many interesting projects such as the Aberdeen Nigg Bay development and the Swansea Tidal Bay Lagoon. I have been working side by side and learning from the best maritime engineer professionals in the business.

What would you do differently since graduating?

I would have sought career advice from Plymouth University’s career services, instead of searching on my own to find jobs online. There’s also a handy on-campus graduate recruitment and internship service now called JobShop. It would have made the job seeking process smoother and less stressful for me.

Imagine you were about to start university again - with the benefit of hindsight - what would you now tell yourself to have done differently?

If I had the knowledge of how UK universities and particularly Plymouth University operated, I would have done my civil engineering course at Plymouth University as well, instead of doing it in Greece.

What was your main reason for choosing to study your course at Plymouth? With hindsight how significant was this for you (e.g. the course was accredited, offered a work placement or additional Masters year, location was key)?

The key reason I chose to study MSc Coastal Engineering at Plymouth was because it’s the best university in the UK in terms of coastal and maritime engineering studies. It was also suggested to me by my university professor. Compared to other similar courses, it offered a broad range of modules such as coastal engineering but also environmental and project management modules, which are very important in an engineer’s professional career.

How did we support you in your studies? If you used any support services whilst at the university how did they enable you to get to where you are today?

The professors on my course were very kind and dedicated and always ready to answer queries. The University library had all the studying material and resources we needed for our projects, and the fact that I used the coastal laboratory for my dissertation projects was of the utmost importance to my development.

How did studying at Plymouth change your career aspirations and plans?

Before studying at Plymouth, I was not sure whether I would stay in the UK for a career. Studying at Plymouth University broadened my mental horizons, gave me significant educational and technical knowledge, and provided me with the opportunity to enter the UK’s professional engineering world.

What is your favourite memory of studying for your degree at Plymouth?

My favourite memory has to be working at the coastal laboratory as part of my dissertation, entitled ‘study of the shoreline response of submerged breakwaters,’ because it was an exciting experience and a fantastic opportunity to see how theory is put into practice in the real world.

How well did Plymouth prepare you for the challenges that you have faced, or will face, in your career?

Plymouth University gave me all the tools to face the challenges in my future career; it gave me a high-level technical knowledge, helped me with multitasking, prioritising, working in teams, and also boosted my organisational and presentation skills. Studying at Plymouth University also helped me to cope with pressure and stress, such as getting accustomed to working as part of demanding projects. All in all, I think the whole course was structured in an order which prepared us for the UK engineering industry and professional environment.

Why would you recommend undertaking a course with Plymouth University?

I would and I have already recommended Plymouth University to people because I know that it will give them – like it did for me – the proper knowledge and qualifications to pursue a career as an engineer in the UK industry.

Inspired by this story?

For more information about studying coastal engineering, please visit our MSc Coastal Engineering page. For more information about our range of courses within the School of Engineering, please visit the school page.